The La Brea Tar Pits is one of the only places on earth where one can find fossils dating back to the Ice Age in the middle of a metropolis. This unusual location offers visitors an entire world of fossil exploration, complete with the remains of animals that were once trapped in the region's 'tar' pits. Which can actually be seen on display, bubbling away as they would have 50,000 or more years ago!
In the middle of bustling Los Angeles, the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum plays host to an interactive, Jurrasic-sized adventure. In the midst of palm trees and surrounded by city buildings, the excavation site is still being worked on today by experts - and visitors can see it all for themselves for the price of admission.
History Behind The Bubbling 'Tar' Pits Of La Brea
Today, visitors to the Tar Pits will get a pretty good idea of what they once looked like prior to the city of Los Angeles existing around them. Without noise from oncoming traffic or pedestrians, the tar pits were nothing more than unknown traps, many times catching animals unaware. At the Lake Pit, which is an iconic attraction within the La Brea Museum, guests have the chance to view a diorama demonstrating exactly this. As a family of mammals grazes at the edge of the 'lake,' one of the adult mammals appears to be struggling in the mucky, bubbling tar.
This would have been a typical occurrence and while stronger, larger animals were sometimes able to escape, smaller animals would succumb to exhaustion or other predatory animals. At times, predatory birds would swoop in while other carnivorous animals would attempt to hunt the struggling animal, only to become stuck and fall prey, themselves.
Why Does The Tar Pit Bubble & What Is It Made Of?
While the term 'tar' is a bit misleading, the lake itself is made of asphalt. Those familiar with new asphalt on a hot day know that it can become incredibly sticky and dangerous, and this same notion applies to the La Brea Tar Pits. The bubbling underneath is due to methane gas which makes its way to the surface and escapes via these bubbles. Typically, methane gas in nature is colorless, odorless, and quite undetectable, as opposed to hydrogen sulfide which has an odor similar to rotten eggs.
This crude oil is what would have been responsible for holding mammals captive, and is the reason so many fossils have been well-preserved.
Fossils & More: What Has Been Found In The La Brea Tar Pits?
While one will not encounter any dinosaur species in the region, what visitors will find are mammal species that date back to the Ice Age. The predators that many have only seen mock-up photos of - such as dire wolves and saber-toothed cats - are exactly the kind of species that were prowling around some 50,000 years prior.
- Dire Wolves: About 4,000 individuals can be found in the museum's collection
- Saber-toothed Cats: About 2,000 individuals can be found in the museum's collection
- Coyotes: The third most populous species that lived in the region of the La Brea Tar Pits
The closest guests will come to see any type of dinosaur-like species at La Brea is to observe the fossils of birds who were found in the area. These were (and still are) the living descendants of the dinosaurs that once walked the earth. The dinosaurs had gone extinct roughly 66 million years prior to the tar pits, and it's surmised that the city of Los Angeles would have been underwater during a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
In total, according to the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum website, more than one million bones have been recovered from the tar pits and surrounding area. Of this, the bones have comprised more than 230 species of vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as more than 150 species of plants.
- Total Artifacts: Roughly 3 million are housed in the museum
Current Excavations At The La Brea Tar Pits
To this day, excavations are still underway in the middle of Los Angeles. At the time of writing, Project 23 is the most recent excavation, which is a large-salvage operation. According to the museum, the findings of the project could roughly double the number of artifacts that have already been discovered. For those visiting, Pit 91 is an open-air excavation where guests of the museum can watch experts as they work on digging up fossils and other found artifacts.
Visiting The La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
The La Brea Tar Pits is only one of three natural history museums in Los Angeles, along with the Natural History Museum and the William S. Hart Museum.
- Admission: Adults $15 | Seniors $12 | Students $12 | Children $7 | Members - free
- Hours of Operation: Wednesday - Sunday, 9:30 AM - 5 PM, closed on Tuesdays
- Address: 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036